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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Macking on Indie Bookstores (with a Signed Book Giveaway)

It's 4 AM--that alone wouldn't normally be any sort of precursor to a crappy blog post for me. But I'm currently out of town in Madison, having just attended WisCon 35 and I've had little more than four hours of sleep a night for the last six nights. So. Yeah.*

Assume any typos and limpy wimpy writing are due to extreme exhaustion. Not the topic, which happens to be glorious.

Anyway.

Today a bunch of us are celebrating independent book stores. Because they're awesome, see. If you're not sure why, check out this article by Bruce Somerset, which highlights some of the reasons why we need independent book stores. Comfy and cozy, personable and supportive of communities and authors, indies are like the doting grandmas of bookstores, except way cool, like the grandmas who also ride motorcycles and play the drums.

I don't frequent any independent bookstores, primarily because there aren't any near to me, so it's impossible to feature a loved local indie without being a liar. But I do know Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL, an indie I'm quickly falling in love with. If it were closer than 3 1/2 hours away, I'd probably wear a hole in their carpet with all my foot traffic.

I first discovered Anderson's Bookshop when the ever so amazing Erica Chapman and I attended Veronica Roth's launch of DIVERGENT*. It's while Erica and I were visiting Veronica that we discovered another major signing would be taking place the following week for Lisa and Laura Roecker (the organizers of the I <3 Indies blog fest), Julia Karr, Leah Clifford, Courtney Moulton, Sara Bennett-Wealer, Sarah Rees Brennan, Saundra Mitchell, and Christine Johnson. So of course we went. Lots of adventures were had, and I walked away having had two new super experiences and a love of indie bookstores. I'll definitely go back again.

Win a SIGNED copy of A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford

Okay, so in honor of independent bookstores, how about I give away a super awesome book that I purchased in this store? Just for fun? I purchased others there, too, but I'm not ready to let go of all of them yet. For now, I'll just give away a SIGNED copy of A TOUCH MORTAL by Leah Clifford. If you'd like to win, just click on the link below the summary and fill out the short form!

Summary: Eden didn't expect Az.Not his saunter down the beach toward her. Not his unbelievable pick-up line. Not the instant, undeniable connection. And not his wings.

Yeah.

So long, happily-ever-after.

Now trapped between life and death, cursed to spread chaos with her every touch, Eden could be the key in the eternal struggle between heaven and hell. All because she gave her heart to one of the Fallen, an angel cast out of heaven.

She may lose everything she ever had. She may be betrayed by those she loves most. But Eden will not be a pawn in anyone else's game. Her heart is her own.

If you tweet about the blog fest, please feel free to include the hash tag #Iheartindies and @ reply me with @cvaldezmiller if you want me to see it.

*I'll blog about this con soon, too. Mega fun, and seriously. Made friends I know I'll have the rest of my life. SCORE.**I intend to fully blog about these trips with Erica very soon. Talk about wild adventures.

P.S. I'll be back on a regular blogging schedule next week. Or you know, maybe not a schedule. But something like way more than not at all. Been missing you guys loads.

Thank you, Carol! I'm going to check other blogs as well and I reposted the link for the giveaway. Unfortunately the indie shop we have near me is a posh big thing for students with almost no paranormals, so I never feel confortable there :))impy80(at)hotmail(dot)com

I LOVE LOVE LOVE indies :) I have two that I visited in Colorado and fell in love with and will totally be posting about them someday. What a fabulous idea to post about :) Seriously, it's my goal to find a new Indie whenever I travel. Well, except at WisCon this year because it was too packed with fun with YOU and everyone else <3

Yay for independent book stores! Sadly, I don't have one anywhere near me either, for like 200 miles. But then, I live in the middle of nowhere. Obviously. And hey hon, I didn't see a single typo. ;) Get some sleep!

Great blogfest - I put up my tribute to my local bookstore too. And of course I'd love to win A Touch Mortal. But really I'm commenting on your previous post, because I found that same review by Aleeza and started following her on Goodreads and A Northern light and Revolution are on my summer reading list. Gosh I wish I had been that well-read and well-spoken at 17 years!!! What a future that girl has!

What a great occasion for a giveaway! I have to admit that the convenience of online ordering sometimes drives me to Amazon.com, but there's no replacing the experience of actually visiting a bookstore where it's actually about BOOKS, and there's no greater place for that than Indie stores. Indie comic book stores are like that too, and I could never give those up! :)